PokeOdyssey Neo
by King Dragun
Summary: This is a sequel to my friend Cullen's PokeOdyssey Stories, expanding Cameron Fusterman's experiences to include the RubySapphireEmerald Pokemon! A short prologue summarizes events in Cullen's stories if you're too lazy to read them. Chapter 2 up!
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! It's me, the incredible King Dragun! You may know me as the writer of "Sister of Anansi." Well, that story started as a work on a character I made for my good friend Cullen Pittman, who had started a Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. Unfortunately, that project died in the water...

(Hears a gunshot and a scream of "PSYDUCK!" Goes outside, confiscates the rifle from Misty before she shoots Psyduck againluckily, she missed, then goes back in.)

Heh heh, sorry about that folks. (Gives the gun to contraband.) Anyways, before that failed project, Cullen had written a great Pokémon fanfic called "The Incredible Poké-Odyssey." This story is a continuation of the series. Who here hasn't read that fic and its sequels?

(Sees a show of hands and slaps his forehead in disgust.)

Well, then, you'd better go read them, because you won't be able to understand much about some of the characters until you do! Go on, this fanfic isn't going anywhere!

(Sees the audience glaring angrily at him.) Okay, fine, here is a brief (and spoilerific, don't say I didn't warn you!) summary of what happens in those stories, if you are THAT lazy!

**0**

**Poké-Odyssey Neo  
****A fanfic by King Dragun  
****Main characters made by Cullen Pittman**

**0**

**Prologue:**

_AKA A brief summary of "The Incredible Poke-Odyssey" and "Poke-Odyssey 2001", for those of you who were too lazy to go and read those stories!_

From an episode summary of the Pocket Monsters anime, Episode 62 "It's Mr. Mimie Time!":

(Credit goes to the site _Pokemon Dream_)

_Ash is speeding ahead of Misty and Brock trying to keep up with him on their way to Pallet Town. He makes a phone call home, but gets the answering machine. Ash is suddenly stopped when he slams into an invisible wall. Misty and Brock can feel it too, but not see it. Ash looks up and sees a Mr. Mime. It's climbing up the wall. Ash takes out his pokedex and it says it is a rare Pokemon with limited info. It is using it's attack panti mime which makes a clear wall. Ash is about to catch it when a female trainer runs in and says please let me catch it. Ash says why should he, but Brock holds him back and he starts to struggle. When they turn around they see Mr. Mime running away. Brock asks why The trainer wants Mr. Mime and she brings them to a Pokemon circus which is hers and shows them here Mr. Mime. _

_She had trained him so hard she said he just gave up yesterday. (Mr. Mime is stuffing his face with popcorn) "I want the Mr. Mime to train and make this one jealous and maybe he'll perform again." Brock then vows to give her a Mr. Mime and says to Ash if I can't catch one I'll make it. Ash asks how he'd make one and then we see inside the circus tent Ash dressed in a big Mr. Mime outfit. He protests, but Misty & Brock talk him into it. The circus owner starts to train Ash and whips him over and over again. Ash now knows how the Mr. Mime felt. After it shows the day of the circus and it is full, Ash walking in like Mr. Mime sees his mom in the stands. _

_Just as the show starts the lights go out and Team Rocket swings on the trapeze bars while saying their motto. the then steal Ash (Mr. Mime) in their hot air balloon and Meowth says "Good-bye you clowns," and James says, "That's a good one!" In the circus ring Ash's mom comes up to Misty and Brock and says " That was Ash wasn't it?" Misty and Brock say yes, but she isn't worried. She says once Team Rocket finds out Ash isn't a Pokemon they'll let him go and invite them home for lunch._

We know what happens next, right? Team Rocket stops at a cabin, Ash reveals that he's in costume to them and then he gets confused with a wild Mr. Mime, and when Team Rocket attacks with their tank, the Mr. Mimes trap them in a column of mystic Barriers and the crooks blow themselves out into the sky trying to escape. The wild Mr. Mime stays with Ash's mom and Ash then goes to Professor Oak to find out about the Pokemon League...

Of course you know what happens next, don't you? Anyone who's seen the Pokemon anime when that episode aired has been watching those episodes for some time now.

However, there is something called "the butterfly effect." Ray Bradbury stated that killing a butterfly in the time of the dinosaurs would cause subtle, but significant changes. In other words, a small change in the timeline could create powerful changes in the future.

A certain godling by the name of Toltiir used this effect to great entertainment in something he called "The Bet." In this divine comedy, he held a contest, using the various timelines of a young martial artist and anime character called Ranma Saotome, to see whether small changes in the timeline of that teenager would cause rifts in the future of his life. It did.

Where is this going with this whole chaos theory and divine beings messing with the life of a mortal? Well, basically, the whole idea is that each timeline has an infinite set of various manifestations, parallel timelines that **might** have happened if certain conditions had been met. Most of these infinite possible futures are very minor in alteration, but some are drastic.

_She says once Team Rocket finds out Ash isn't a Pokemon they'll let him go and invite them home for lunch._

The world of the Pokemon anime isn't immune to this "Butterfly Effect", or if they had said it, "Butterfree Effect." The life of Ash Ketchum has many futures, each of them all different in their own ways. The dominant future is one where Ash is eliminated from the Indigo League, travels the Orange Islands and beats the Orange League Champion, travels Johto and is eliminated from the Johto League, meets a girl called May and her little brother, Max, and travels with them throughout Hoenn, then is eliminated from the Hoenn League and returns to his homeland to battle the Frontier Brains. That's his destiny.

But what if his destiny had been changed by a small alteration in the timeline? What if those three who worked for Team Rocket had **not** found out that Ash wasn't a Pokemon...until it was too late? Until they gave Ash to their leader, Giovanni?

Giovanni is a terrible man. Not only was he the leader of a ruthless criminal organization, but he built his organization on the blood and tears of innocents who lost their Pokemon or their families to the crooks who did Gio's dirty business. One old man in Lavender Town prays for the souls of those Pokemon lost to Team Rocket's dirty deeds.

Also, Giovanni is a very impatient man. He doesn't like it when his agents constantly make fools of themselves. Over the past year, ever since Jessie, James, and Meowth first met Ash and Pikachu in Viridian City's Pokemon center that dark moonlit night, they had been making fools of themselves because of that "twerp."

Something as humiliating as finding out that the rare and valuable Pokemon which was going to make your boss like you was a kid in a costume, right in front of your own boss, is something that would no doubt seal your job security's fate...in a black coffin.

_**"I knew it was only in a fantasy world that you three nincompoops would do something right! You three have failed me for the last time!" **_

And once you got fired, you would blame people...people like those who made your life a miserable nightmare since you first met.

**_"This stupid hat is a reminder of the little brat who got us into this mess! I'm gonna tear this hat to shreds as soon as I can find something sharp!"_**

And then, you'd get even.

**_"Listen up my fellow Rockets! For many years, we've served and cowered under the thumb of that miserable ingrate Giovanni. And where did it get us? Stuck in a room with stale food all over the place thinking about the future we were never gonna get even if we still worked for him! I'd say we find a way out of here, start our own Rocket empire and run it our way!"_**

Jessie was a woman who was a spitfire in the best of times. In the worst of times, she could be a demoness. When she and her fellow Rockets were humilated in front of their boss and then barely escaped with their lives, they decided to take over Pallet Town and makeAsh weep as revenge for all the horrible(but deserved) pain he gave them over the months.

Little did they know that Giovanni's other pet, Mewtwo, was going to make Ash "disappear" for five whole years.

This turn of events changed the timeline. Ash, now trapped in the mind of Mewtwo with no way out, couldn't stop the Team Rocket rebels from attacking Pallet Town and kidnapping Pikachu, using him and Stella's Mr. Mimeto create an electric barrier that trapped everyone in the town in the Rockets' evil clutches. Jessie and James violently oppressed all the townsfolk, including Professor Oak, Ash's mother and friends, Gary, and even Stella and her circus.

Jessie, James, and Meowth were no longer fools, they had become deadly villians, fueled by hatred and revenge against Ash. They tortured all the townsfolk for five full years.

Professor Oak, Misty, and Brock escaped into the sewers and started a rebellion to overthrow them, but they couldn't do much because they saw no way to escape their prison. The police force was powerless to stop them, and the Kanto Government had its hands tied. Professor Oak tried to find a way to bring Ash back...and inadvertantly brought a young man from our world to them, thanks to Misty's Psyduck, who was still being as annoying as ever.

The fourteen-year old boy was called Cameron Fusterman, and he was a fan of all things Pokemon. He was watching the episode "It's Mr. Mimie Time!" when his TV went off in the middle of the episode. Oak's machine dropped him right into Team Rocket's lap, but thanks to a brave Sandshrew, he escaped.

Cameron was very clever, and managed to get the majority of the rebellion's leaders out of the imprisoned town in order to find help. The group met the Pallet Town's Officer Jenny and they traveled to Mt. Moon to find some Moon Stones to power up the machine and bring Ash back.

Unfortunately, Jessie and her pals saw the escape and chased them down, with the help of a deadly ninja girl called Reiko, who was deadlier than Jessie at times and was Jessie's intern. They first clashed at Pewter City, but Cameron cleverly found a way to get the police to rescue Brock's family.

The plan to get Moon Stone failed when the heroes found that Jessie and James had stolen it all, so the gang fell back on Plan B - find reinforcements to take back Pallet by force. As they fled from Team Rocket, who hunted them like dogs, the heroes found out the whereabouts of Ash and Giovanni, trapped in Mewtwo's mind, and Reiko found a friend in Cameron, who learned that Reiko was not evil at all, but only served Jessie out of fear, for even this ruthless ninja girl feared the fate that awaited those who betrayed Team Rocket. Reiko was actually the little sister of Koga, the retiring gym leader of Fuschia City, who had run away from home out of anger against her siblings for the way they treated her and ended up getting caught by the electric wall.

Cameron gathered gym badges and, after facing Blaine in the Seafoam Islands when Cinnabar Volcano erupted, the group faced Mewtwo and were trapped in his mind by a nasty attack called "Mindjail." Ash - who had matured into a young man over the five years of imprisonment and had a team of powerful Pokemon - saved them and, through the power of Cameron's Slowking, everyone who Mewtwo had trapped in his mind was freed. Misty's Psyduck, seeking to make his trainer proud of him, evolved into Golduck and killed Mewtwo.

Sadly, Reiko's treachery towards Jessie was discovered and she was seized by Jessie and James and prepared to be executed. In a sick and twisted plot, the three villians forced Cameron to battle for her life, but he prevailed. Giovanni, who had gone mad during his imprisonment, regained his sanity in time to fuse with Mewtwo's corpse and use that evil mutant Pokemon to attack Ash, but in the end and through the work of all involved, Mewtwo's body was destroyed and Giovanni was slain, never to be heard from again. The remains turned into the legendary Mew, who thanked Cameron and Ash for saving him from a horrible fate as Mewtwo and healing the town, erasing it of Rocket influence. Jessie, James, and Meowth were arrested and sent to prison, and everyone lived happily ever after, except Reiko(who was languishing in a juvenile prison) and Team Rocket...

...or so it seemed.

When Cameron turned fifteen, he learned about a land called Ryooku, to the far east. Meowth had escaped and managed to break Jessie and James out, and Jessie was eager to destroy Cameron and Ash in revenge. The three started to hound Cameron and Ash, who traveled with him to Ryooku with his now-official girlfriend Misty, all across Ryooku. Pallet Jenny, who had married Seymour from Mt. Moon and adopted Cameron as her step-son, learned about the breakout and, after hearing about the attack on them in Soy Town, got help by sending Reiko to protect him, but made sure that her Growlithe went along to watch over the "reformed" assassin.

Cameron enjoyed his Pokemon travels, switching his sixth Pokemon a couple of times and eventually getting a rare form of Eevee, the dragon-type Scaleon. When the three teenagers arrived on Ryooku, they met Tracey Sketchit. In the dominant timeline, Tracey met Ash and Misty on the Orange Islands, but this time it was different.

Cameron's Sandshrew became like Pikachu, who had been rescued and returned safely to Ash's side. The Sandshrew, called Sandy by Cameron, was now like a sidekick and enjoyed this freedom. Cameron gathered eight badges from the Ryooku gyms, which ran like the Orange Island gyms, and in the end, Cameron faced off against the Supreme Four and AJ, one of the trainers Ash had met in his Kanto travels, and prevailed over them all.

Team Rocket escaped prison a second time and ran into a legendary Pokemon, the thunder hound Raikou. Meowth used an evil device to control this mighty creature and the three attacked Soy Town, taking control of it. When Cameron went to save the town, they found themselves outmatched, but with help from Suicune, the legendary aurora hound and sibling to Raikou, they enlisted Entei, the third of the legendary hounds, and got Soy Town back. The three hounds sent Team Rocket blasting off for what seemed like forever.

After this adventure, Ash and Cameron were recognized as heroes and given a gym deed in Pallet Town, and so the Pallet Town Gym was born. Ash and Cameron married their dream girls, and life seemed to be peaceful again.

It's been a year since Cameron married Reiko, who was now realized to be completely repentant and no longer seeking to do evil. As Cameron and Sandy visited the land of Johto, a new chapter of their lives opens, involving a native of Johto who is about to start his own Pokemon adventures.

And with new adventures will come lots of new Pokemon that Cameron has never seen before...

(There. If you didn't get it before, you'll never get it now, so be glad I wrote this whole thing for you slackers!)


	2. The Neo Connection

To clear things up with the usual disclaimer: **_Pokémon_** and its characters aren't mine, they are the property of Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., and various companies who made the anime. Cameron, Reiko, Neo, and their Pokémon are the property of Cullen Pittman, who has given me the OK to do this story, which he started(this is one of three chapters he finished before giving up on the whole thing and giving it to me). I'm going to try to keep as close to his vision as I can, but some of the characters are mine, so there.

I tried to copy the scenes verbatim from the drafts of the first three chapters that Cullen gave me, but I did put some changes in it to put my own spin(a Baltoy spins past; yours truly gets a sweatdrop) on things. Cullen gave me the plots for the rest of the chapters, so I'll work on putting as many of those ideas as I can into this story, but I may throw in a few of my own ideas. And you'll be surprised by the big bad guys!

(Team Rocket marches in and Jessie hands me a contract.)

Sorry, Jess…but don't worry, you guys will get a part in my next project, I promise!

(Team Rocket attacks, but Ash rushes in with May and blasts them off with Pikachu and Combusken. Another sweatdrop.)

Let's enjoy the show, shall we? (Hears a cannon go off.) Oh bother... (Runs off to stop Misty from her Psyduck-killing spree...again.)

**0**

**Poké-Odyssey Neo  
****A fanfic by King Dragun  
****Main characters made by Cullen Pittman**

**0**

**Part 1: The Neo Connection**

Two figures were up in space, playing a rousing card game of "Go Fish", only they called it "Goldeen."

"Got any fives?" asked a cute white rodent-like creature with a long tail.

"Goldeen," said a strange green alien-like creature with big blue eyes and a wave of green "hair" from its head.

"Rattata!" cussed the other creature, drawing a card from the deck floating in the center between them with its tail and adding the card to its hand.

"Got any sixes?" asked the green alien-fairy.

"Here ya go," grumbled the white rodent, handing the card it had just drawn from the deck to it. "Celebi, I swear to the seventeen heavens...you're cheating!"

"I'm not cheating," scoffed the alien-fairy. "Since we are both psychic Pokémon of legendary nature, one of us would knowif the other is cheating at this game."

"But you've beaten me...oh, I lost count after I was released from that evil Mewtwo body thanks to those humans many years ago!" He looked over his hand. "Got any nines?"

Celebi smiled. "Goldeen, Mew."

"Rattata!" shouted the rodent, drawing another card.

Just then, a sparkle of light glittered nearby and a strange white fairy with a yellow headresswith strange tags hanging from each point appeared."Hiya, guys!"

"Well well, guess what just popped in uninvited?" yawned Celebi. "Aren't you supposed to be in some giant space rock that only crashes on Earth and awakens every thousand years, Jirachi?"

The little white fairy, Jirachi, did a mock pout. "Oh, c'mon! I step out of my space pod for a few months and you guys are a barrel of Mankey. What's wrong with waking up early?"

"You'll disrupt the space-time flow, that's what," said Mew.

"Got any Jacks?" asked Celebi. Mew grimaced and handed over the card it just drew.

"Fine, make rotten jokes about me," said Jirachi, crossing its arms in mock anger. "I thought you guys had your own jobs to do! I mean, Mew, why aren't you training that Togetic, and what about Celebi's time duties?"

"We needed a break," grumbled Mew. "We've been through a lot."

"Fine, I'll just go down to Big Blue and watch people," said Jirachi, floating around them so that it was facing the other way.

Celebi nearly droppedher cards. "Are you nuts, man? That place isn't safe for free-range Pokémon, especially legendaries like yourself!"

"You tell me," grumbled Mew, rolling its eyes. "When some nutjobs capture you and turn you into a freakin' mutant like the Hulk, you know that visiting Earth is a **_bad_** idea."

"I can top that," sighed Celebi. "My brother of the clan flew to Earth to do some recon in a place called Orre, never came back."

"Then we should find him," said Jirachi in worry. "After all, if all the Celebis are together..."

"Can the together nonsense," said Celebi. "I never travel with groups. You know the rules; two Celebi can't be in the same time zone unless they're at our home plane!"

"Fine, I'll go find the ones responsible myself!" said Jirachi in a huff, flying down to the planet.

"She never listens," grumbled Celebi, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know," said Mew. "Her loss...uh, got any Aces?"

Celebi grinned wickedly. "Goldeen."

"RATICATE!" howled Mew, throwing his cards in the air as Celebi chuckled lightly.

**0**

Jirachi floated into the atmosphere and made her way to one of its more favorite spots, the land around Mount Silver in Johto. She was so busy admiring the view that she almost didn't see the helicopter roar past. Luckily, she caught the roar of the blades and teleported to a safe spot just as it reached her.

_"Wretched sons of a Mightyena!"_ screeched Jirachi. "Humans! Why do the others even tolerate them?" She teleported away.

**0**

If Jirachi had known who was _inside_ that chopper that had nearly mowed her down, which was heading past Mount Silver and to the region around Blackthorn City, she would have been a little more respectful. Because inside was the one who rescued Mew from the wicked schemes of the now-late leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, and the cute little Sandshrew who had been by his side through thick and thin.

"Sandshrew!" said the Sandshrew happily as he rested in Cameron Fusterman's arms.

Cameron, who was now a young adult of nineteen years of age, nodded as he looked out the window. "Yep, there it is, Sandy. Blackthorn City in the land of Johto. We're looking at another wonderful land in the world of Pokémon."

A flock of ladybug Pokémon known as Ledyba flew past. "Biiiii!" they cried as they flew away. Below them, in the mountains, a pair of Donphan rolled down the slopes and stopped at a mountain stream where Dragonair were swimming with Remoraid and Chinchou. A giant Ursaring and its Teddiursa children were picking berries, while Pineco hung nearby, sleeping.

"So this is where those Pokémon were first discovered," said Cameron in awe.

"We're coming up to Blackthorn," said the pilot, who was Cameron's adopted mother, Officer Jenny from Pallet Town. "Get ready to land."

"All right," said Cameron. "I'm a bit nervous...I've never met a gym leader from Johto before."

"Well, be on your guard," warned Jenny. "From what I've heard from my second cousin removed who lives there, Clair is the toughest gym leader in the area."

"I've heard about her from _Pokémon Monthly_," said Cameorn. "She's the cousin of Lance of the Elite Four and uses dragon Pokémon as well as a fierce Gyarados."

"Be glad you're _not_ competing for a badge," chuckled Jenny. "My cousin is good friends with the Nurse Joy there, and she's told horror stories of trainers who tried to get her Rising Badge. I'm sure you'd be in over your head if you tried to take on her dragons."

_**"SHREW!"**_ snarled Sandy, obviously upset that his strength was being downplayed.

Jenny laughed. "No, Sandy, I'm not doubting your strength. I'm sure you're capable of taking on the most powerful dragon. I mean, anyone who can crush a giant stone Meowth and an extremely tough Sandslash is tough!"

"Yeah, Sandy," said Cameron, smiling as he patted his sidekick's head. "Your Ricochet attack is pretty powerful, which is why we only use it if all other options fail."

"Sandshrew," said Sandy, puffing up his chest in pride. The special attack which caused Sandy to bounce about like a pinball and smack an opponent big-time was dubbed "Ricochet" by Cameron after using it against A.J.'s Sandslash in the Ryooku League.

"We're coming in for a landing, hang on," said Jenny as the helicopter came down in a grassy clearing. The powerful winds coming from the blades scared off some wild Sentret and Pidgey. The young man and his Sandshrew looked out the window to see a beautiful green valley with a crystal-clear lake. A mountain cave was bored into the side of the mountain on the far side of the lake, and the houses and buildings of Blackthorn City were nearby.

"Here we are," said Jenny as the copter door opened and Cameron and Sandy got out.

"Thanks for the ride, Jenny," said Cameron.

"Enjoy your stay," said Jenny. "Be on your best behavior, don't slouch, eat the right foods, and go to bed early."

"Aw, mom," said Cameron, blushing. "I'm ninteen now! I'm married!"

"Sorry, sweetie," said Jenny with a giggle. "I guess I'll always think of you as my little boy who saved my hometown from evil tyrants."

"And you're the only mother figure I'll ever know and love," said Cameron, leaningback in and giving her a farewell embrace.

"Thank you, Cameron," said Jenny, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm so blessed to have two special guys in my life." She closed her eyes and envisioned a spectacled researcher waiting for her back in Pallet Town.

"Bye, mom," said Cameron. "Say hello to Seymour and my moonray for me!"

"I will, honey," said Jenny, blowing a kiss as Cameron got out again. "Love ya." She closed the door and Cameron and Sandy backed up to a safe distance as the helicopter blades whirred into life and lifted the metal vehicle off the ground and away over the mountains around the city.

"Well, Sandy," said Cameron, looking down at his buddy. "Ready to meet a gym leader from the great land of Johto?"

"Sandshrew shrew," said Sandy with a nod. Sensing something, he turned and pointed at a person coming down the field.

"Is that her?" asked Cameron, squinting his eyes.

It wasn't Clair.After all,Clair wasn'ta middle-aged man with a receding blonde hairline, wearing a checkboard shirt and tan khaki shorts.

"Hey there, you must be Cameron Fusterman and his adorable Sandshrew," said the man with a big grin.

"That's me," said Cameron with a smile.

"It's truly an honour!" said the man, taking Cameron's hand and giving it a firm shake. "The name's Peter Foxworth." He pulled away and noticed Cameron looking at his hand funny. "Oh, sorry about that." He sweatdropped. "I just had a triple-decker cheeseburger with bacon and I guess I forgot to wipe my hands. Uh, you won't tell my wife now? She'd kill me if she found out I ate that stuff."

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed," said Cameron, glad that he had a handkerchief in his pocket for such emergencies. He took it out and wiped his hand free of the grease..

"Thank you, sir," said Peter with a sigh of relief. "You're a saint. She has abit of a spirited behaviorat the best of times, but when you're the husband of a dragon trainer like Clair, that's what you expect."

"Wait, did you say Clair?" queried Cameron in shock. "As in the gym leader of this city? You're her _husband?_"

"Yep," said Peter with a smile. "We got hitched a year ago. It was like magic. I was getting the Johto Badges, battled her for the Rising Badge, and got mightily creamed. But when she saw how much of a fight I put up, she fell for me, and I fell for her too. Love at first sight, you know." He chuckled softly at the memory. "I gave up training right then and there and married her, moved in with my family, and we've been living a fairy tale ever since!"

"Oh, is she here?" asked Cameron. "I'm supposed to meet her today."

"Why, sure!" said Peter. "Although I don't think it would be wise to meet her right _now_. She's at her secret spot in the Dragon's Den, doing some training. She gets mad when you interrupt her training...but, if you really insist, it's not my funeral." He grinned, then reached down to pet Sandy. The Sandshrew quickly blew some sand on his greasy hand. "Well, I don't really blame ya, little fella." He looked at his sand-covered hand in disgust.

**0**

A few moments later, Peter led Cameron through a secret tunnel into the cave that was on the other side of the lake and came out into a beautiful flowery meadow with a large pond in the center. Cameron was in awe as he and the others walked through the flowers and into some trees. "So, this is the Dragon's Den," he breathed. "Beautiful."

"Sand," said Sandy, nodding. His eyes grew large at the Pidgey flying overhead.

"Just be quiet until I can get her buttered up," whispered Peter. "As I said before,she hates it when strangers interrupt her training."

"Okay," said Cameron quietly. He then heard an ear-splitting female screech.

_**"Move those legs, you slacker!"**_

"Ouch," said Cameron, rubbing the inside of his ear and wincing painfully. "I'd sure hate to be one of her Pokémon."

"Pokémon?" asked Peter. He then got it and chuckled. "Who said anything about her _Pokémon_?"

"But you said she was training," said Cameron.

"Yep, but the training she's doing is for my son, Neo," said Peter.

"Your **_son_**?" cried Cameron in shock.

"Shhh! Keep it down or she'll hear you!" hissed Peter.

"But...I thought you only married Clair a year ago," said Cameron. "How could...?" He tried to keep from blushing. "I mean, even if you did get her…well…she'd have a…"

Peter laughed, suddenly getting the gist of Cameron's query. "Actually, Clair's my _second_ wife. Neo's the son of my first wife, Merisa. Merisa was a fine young thing, and she was a bit spirited. Guess that's why I fell for Clair, theyhavea lotin common...except the dragons and Rapidash-hot temper, of course."

"Then Clair is his step-mom," said Cameron. Sandy frowned softly.

The three quietly pushed away some bushes to reveal a hill, where a tall, sexy woman with a tsunami ofazure hair and deep green eyes, wearing a black cape and turtleneck sweater was standing.

"There's my little angel," said Peter with a dreamy sigh.

"You're slacking!" snapped Clair.

"Well, she's an angel in her good times," corrected Peter with a nervous smile. "But don't worry, Cameron, her bite is worse than her bark."

"She **bites**?" squeaked Cameron.

"I want some sweat dripping from your brow, Neo!" snarled Clair.

Cameron's eyes, seeking to find something to take away from the intimidating form of Clair, went down the hill and found a short boy running laps around a large pond. The boy had curly strawberry-blonde hair that was brushed to one side, square-shaped glasses framing gray eyes, and a purple tee-shirt and blue sweatpants. He was clearly exhausted and, had it not been for Clair's screaming, he might have collapsed right then and there.

"There's my son, Neo," said Peter proudly. "When Clair leaves the gym, he's going to be the next Blackthorn City gym leader! Come on, let me introduce you."

As he left, Cameron and Sandy looked at the fierce-looking Clair glaring at the exhausted boy. "I'm sure glad I'm not that poor boy,"Cameron murmured.

"Shrew," said Sandy with a nod.

"Hi, doll," said Peter, getting Clair's attention. "Sorry to interrupt your training, but I've got guests."

Clair saw Cameron and Sandy approach and leapt down from the hill, landing right in front of Cameron. A big smile formed on her face. "Ah, it's you! The great Rocket-Slayer, Cameron Fusterman! I heard you were coming to visit my humble gym from the Jenny here." She grabbed his hands tightly and clasped them. "It is quite an honour to meet a real heroic gym leader."

Cameron blushed modestly. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Neo!" shouted Clair, letting go of Cameron's hands. "Get your sorry butt over here! There's someone I'd like you to meet!"

Neo slowly dragged his body over to them.

"Neo, this is Cameron Fusterman," said Clair.

"How...**_pant_**...do..._**wheeze**_...you..._**cough**_...do?" panted Neo, slowly recovering from his workout.

"Fine, thank you," said Cameron, feeling sorry for the poor kid all over again.

Neo had finally recovered enough to speak clearly and got an excited smile. "Are you really the hero of Pallet and Soy, Mr. Fusterman?" he asked eagerly, his eyes glittering like stars in awe.

"Please, Cameron is fine," said Cameron. "And I'm not the only 'rocket-slayer' who saved the towns. I had help from Ash Ketchum and my friend here, Sandy."

"Sandshrew," said Sandy with a smile, wagging his tail.

"Wow, the real Sandshrew!" said Neo. He approached to pet Sandy, but then Clair stepped between them.

"Okay, enough introductions," said Clair firmly. "You skipped five-point-six seconds of your training! Give me a hundred pull-ups right now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" said Neo, running over to a nearby tree branch, grabbing it, and doing pull-ups.

"Shrew..." growled Sandy, angry that Clair had robbed him of a good petting.

"Peter, hon, make sure that Neo does exactly a hundred pull-ups," said Clair to her husband. "I want to discuss some things with Cameron."

"Sure thing, lemon drop," grinned Peter as he ran over to his son.

"Uh...I hate to be nosy and all, and I know you know what you're doing," said Cameron nervously after he and Sandy were led by Clair out of the men's earshot. "But...don't you think you're going a **_wee_** bit overboard with the training?"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Clair with a huff. "If Neo's to take my place as a dragon trainer and the Blackthorn City Gym Leader, he'll have to be tougher than a dragon Pokémon! Dragon Pokémon are the most powerful Pokémon in the world and don't respect you if you are weak. Like my cousin Lance always says, you can't be clever with them. Me and Lance had to go through the same sort of training before we got our first Pokémon."

"You might be a little off about dragons," said Cameron, patting a red-shaped Pokéball on his belt. "You see, I happen to own a dragon Pokémon of my own, and she's respected me ever since we met, even though I'm not tough or mean."

"Ah yes," said Clair, eyeing the Level Ball. "The legendary dragon-type evolution of Eevee, Scaleon. I've always wanted to see it. Would you...mind showing it to me?"

"I see why not," said Cameron, taking the Level Ball and tossing it into the air. "Scaleon, come on out and meet Clair!"

The ball split open and a beam of light shot out with a whine, morphing into a giant green serpent with small wings and large forelegs and foreclaws. Its head was a sort of cross between a wolf and a dragon, with bat-like ears. "Scale!" it hissed. Seeing Cameron, it licked its forked tongue on his cheek, making him laugh, and then it saw Clair and did the same thing to her.

"Ah, ho, ho, ho!" laughed Clair, pushing the dragon away. "Cameron, your Scaleon is friendly."

"See? Not all dragons are tough and mean," said Cameron with a smile.

"Actually, that's where you're wrong," said Clair. "You see, since Scaleon evolved from an Eevee, it's not really a true dragon."

Scaleon snarled and blasted Clair with fire at that insult of being called "not a true dragon."

"Scaleon!" scolded Cameron. "That was mean!" Scaleon smiled innocently as Cameron pulled out the Level Ball. "Return!" The giant dragon Pokémon was sucked back into her ball.

"That's okay, Cameron," laughed Clair, wiping the soot from her face. "I've been blasted many times by dragons in my lifetime. I'm used to it." She checked her watch, which had two Dratini for hands. "Oh my, it's time for Neo's trivia test."

"Trivia test?" asked Cameron.

"You know, testing his knowledge of dragon Pokémon. I'll see you later." Clair went over to Peter, who was watching Neo finish his pull-ups. "So, has he done exactly a hundred pull-ups?"

"Yes, he has," said Peter.

"Well Neo, time to exercise your mind with trivia training." She marched off and Neo lagged behind.

"Don't I have such a wonderful family?" asked Peter with a puffed-up chest.

"Aren't you concerned with the way Clair is treating your son?" asked Cameron.

Peter deflated. "To be honest, yes. Don't tell her, but I let Neo get away with only ninety pull-ups."

"Why are you letting Clair do this to him?" demanded Cameron.

Peter twiddled his thumbs. "Well, I just want Clair to be happy. You see, she wants an heir to the Blackthorn Gym if she retired for one reason or another, But we found out that Clair was impotent, she couldn't bear kids. Clair was crushed to hear this when the doctor told her, so that night I said that Neo would take over as her successor."

"Did you even _ask_ Neo if he wanted to be a gym leader?" asked Cameron with a cold expression.

"Well...uh...I never asked his permission," mumbled Peter. Before Cameron could say a word, he spoke. "Before you go and accuse me of anything, it's like this; Neo's true mother died three years ago, about when he was nine. Ever since that tragic day, he's become timid as a Sentret in a storm, scared of his own shadow. His biggest fear is that I might be next."

Cameron felt a little sad. "I know how it feels to lose a father. I lost my own father at the time during my first Pokémon adventures." He grimaced as he recalled how Sabrina showed his father's death and how he had nearly escaped a bleak future.

"I thought this would be for his own good," said Peter softly. "You see, if Neo becomes a dragon trainer, he will gain the courage and confidence he needs to move on and grow up to be a great man." He sighed. "You're right, of course. I really should have asked him about this before pushing him into it, but there's nothing we can do about it now."

"Okay, next question!" came Clair's voice. "True or false, Charizard is a dragon Pokémon!"

"False!" cried Neo's voice.

"Well, at least with the trivia test, he can rest," said Cameron.

"Not the way **_Clair_** does it," mumbled Peter, leading them to the voices. Cameron peeked through the bushes and saw Neo, shirtless and with wires taped to his chest and back, running on a treadmill. A wired headband was strapped to his head as Clair was reading from an electric monitor.

"What two types are Charizard?" barked Clair.

"Fire and flying!" responded Neo, panting as he ran on the treadmill. Blue energy flowed from the wires and into the monitor.

"What is used to evolve Seadra to Kingdra?" said Clair.

"A King's Rock!" cried Neo. Red energy flowed from the wires and Neo gasped. "No, wait! I meant a Dragon Scale!"

"Too late, kid!" snapped Clair. "For getting a noble dragon question wrong, you have to work harder!"

The treadmill got faster and Neo gritted his teeth as he pounded his feet to keep up.

"Every time Neo gets a question wrong, the treadmill speeds up," said Peter.

"That's terrible," said Cameron in horror. "Just like that episode _The School of Hard Knocks_, where Joe had to run on a treadmill while those mean boys asked him questions."

"Uh...what are you talking about?" asked Peter.

Cameron blushed. "Never mind."

"AH!" cried Neo as, unable to keep up the pace, landed belly first on the treadmill and was flung into a tree painfully.

"That will cost you," said Clair with a cruel smile.

"Shrew!" winced Sandy.

"Yeah, that had to hurt," grumbled Cameron. "Poor kid..."

**0**

That evening, Cameron joined Clair's family at their home. The boys were sitting at the dinner table, and Neo was lying on his plate, totally zonked out.

"Poor guy," said Cameron, looking at Neo. "He's probably too tired to eat."

"Don't worry about that," grinned Peter. "My wife's hot cuisine always wakes him up!"

"Dinnertime!" said Clair, slamming a huge tureen on the table. This woke Neo up.

"It's a Dragon Scale!" cried Neo.

"Enough dear, training is over for the day," grinned Clair. "Now it's time for supper and time to feed your dragon spirit."

"Dragon spirit?" asked Cameron, blinking.

"To be a good dragon trainer," said Clair with a grin. "Your inner dragon fire must be kept burning. There's nothing like some spicy hot cuisine to do it." She lifted the lid of the tureen to reveal a spread of spicy buffalo wings, tamales, chili con carne, and Scotch Bonnet chili peppers.

"Uh...looks pretty sizzling to me," gulped Cameron, tugging on his shirt collar.

"Nothing's too good for my dear step-son," giggled Clair as she heaped Neo's plate with the food. "Oh dear, I almost forgot the wasabi." She poured a gooey green sauce over the food. She then snarled at him. "Now eat!"

Cameron watched helplessly as Neo bit into a wasabi-soaked buffalo wing and turn red as a beet as sweat poured down his face. He quickly emptied his glass and then belched flames!

"What was in that glass?" cried Cameron in horror.

"Oh, just some hot cinnamon tea made with real cassia bark imported from Cianwood," said Clair proudly. "With cinnamon candies as a garnish!"

Cameron gulped. "It's like he's eating brimstone and drinking hot lava from the underworld. Are you okay, Neo?"

"He's perfectly fine," interrupted Clair. "A true dragon master treats this as minor."

Cameron poured some ranch dressing on his meal to cool the heat. Peter was doing the same. "I hope he gets some nice cool ice cream for dessert."

"No ice cream!" snapped Clair. "That would freeze his dragon spirit!"

"Speaking of ice cream," said Peter. "Someone's turning thirteen tomorrow, and then he'll be in his terrible teens. Heh, heh, heh."

Cameron smiled. "Happy birthday, Neo!"

"Thank you," gasped Neo for his mouth was horribly burned from the heat caused by his food.

"Oh yes! I forgot!" grinned Clair. "Neo, tomorrow is the day you start your Pokémon journey. Of course, we'll have to give you a fine dragon Pokémon to be your starter. I think a Dratini will be a fine starter for you. Then we can see if all that training paid off." She paused. "What am I saying? Of course it did...you were trained by the best! Me!" She did an insane laugh.

"I'm so excited," mumbled Neo, fanning his mouth.

Cameron winced. _And I thought Jessie from Team Rocket was insane..._

**0**

In the guest room, Cameron was lying on the bed and Sandy was curled up next to his head. "Sandy, I don't think Neo's having such a hot life."

"Shrew?" asked Sandy.

"And Idon't mean all that hot cuisine that Clair shoved down his throat," winced Cameron.

"Shrew," said Sandy, shrugging. Luckily, he had not joined the others that night as he had eaten with Clair's Pokémon. They were nice Pokémon, except the Gyarados, and though the food was spicy, Sandy's meal was a lot less painful than Cameron's.

"If it weren't for that fact that Clair is very intimidating, and Jenny's warning," said Cameron with a sigh. "I might have confronted her on the way she treats Neo. She's more like a nasty gym TEACHER than a gym LEADER."

"Shrew!" said Sandy, nodding in agreement. He recalled talking with Clair's Dragonair and Kingdra and they expressed concern for their trainer, who had changed in attitude after she decided to make Neo her successor. It was like she had evolved from a kind and gentle gym leader to the same rough and mean Gyarados she had on her team, and they didn't like it one bit.

"When my mom died when I was two," mumbled Cameron, turning his head. "I had a fear that I'd end up like Hansel and Gretel, whose dad married a mean stepmother who made life miserable for all. Neo is like my nightmare come true." He got up. "I can't take it anymore, Sandy. I have to talk to Neo and do what his father failed to."

"Shrew shrew," said Sandy with a nod. He raised his claw, hoping to join him.

"Sure, you can join me," grinned Cameron. "I'm sure you'll get a pat from him this time."

**0**

Neo, in blue pajamas decorated with Dratini and Dragonair, was sitting on his bed cross-legged, like a yoga swami. He heard a knock on the door. "Can I come in?" asked Cameron.

"Sure, Mr. Fusterman," said Neo.

Cameron opened the door and entered with Sandy, quietly closing the door behind him. "I told you, call me Cameron. I'm only about six years older than you, so I'm still technically a teenager." He rooted in his pocket and pulled out a red gumball. "Here, want a cool berry-cream flavor gumball?"

Neo furrowed his brow. "Clair doesn't want me eating cool stuff."

"I don't think that eating a _gumball_ will douse your dragon spirit," laughed Cameron. "It's not cold, it's just refreshing. You probably need something like that after all that hot food and drink forced down your throat." He handed the gumball to Neo.

Neo eyed it warily, then surrendered and popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly. "Hey, you're right. It is refreshing after all that spicy food I had to eat."

Sandy leapt up, sniffed Neo, then licked his hand. Neo smiled and finally gave Sandy the pat that he had been robbed of that afternoon.

"You're a nice guy, Neo," said Cameron. "Sandy can sniff out a kind heart really well."

"Thanks," said Neo. He shivered in fear. "I just hope that my Dratini is as nice and doesn't use Dragon Rage on me."

"You're...not crazy about dragons, are you?" asked Cameron sadly.

"To be honest, I have dracophobia," mumbled Neo.

"Draco-what?" asked Cameron.

"Dracophobia, a fear of dragons," sighed Neo.

_Ouch, that would really crimp his style if he took over the gym,_ thought Cameron. "Does Clair know about this?"

"No, I'm afraid to tell her," said Neo. "I'm just thankful that she never brings out her dragon Pokémon unless she's battling a trainer in the gym or is alone in the Dragon's Den. She told me I'm not allowed to see them until tomorrow, when I start my journey."

"What about your dad?" asked Cameron.

"I couldn't bear to tell him," murmured Neo. "You see, despite what you may think, I _know_ about Dad's promise to my step-mom. I overheard him and Clair that night. I know how Clair's gonna react if she found out about my phobia, but I'm worried more about dad. He's been trying to make his new wife happy, so...I guess I have to do it, even if I won't like it, for dad's sake."

"What about _your_ happiness?" protested Cameron.

"My happiness died with my true mom," sobbed Neo. He reached over and took a picture out of his drawer. It showed a beautiful woman in a white dress with curly red hair and gray eyes.

"That's your mom?" asked Cameron. "She's pretty."

"Yeah, that picture was taken before she contracted a horrible disease and passed away when I turned nine," sniffled Neo. "She was the kindest, sweetest, most loving woman I've known. She didn't deserve such a cruel fate."

"I know how it feels, kid," said Cameron, stroking Neo's back. "My mom died when I was younger than that, and my dad perished in a car accident several years ago. It was the worst experience of my life." He paused for a moment to wipe tears away.

"I'm sorry about that, Cameron," said Neo.

"Sandshrew," said Sandy, patting his master's hand.

"Don't worry, I've learned to cope," said Cameron, smiling. "With the help of my good friends, my Pokémon, and my foster parents, the Pallet Town Officer Jenny and Seymour the scientist."

"I wish my step-mom was as nice as yours," said Neo with a sigh.

Cameron laughed. "You should see Jenny whenever something goes wrong, she's a vicious Arcanine!"

"Well, that wouldn't match Clair's Dragon Rage," laughed Neo softly. He sighed. "All she does is push me around and yell at me if I do something wrong. I guess some stepmothers are cruel and mean, unlike the mother figures they are supposed to be, the nurturing kind people."

Cameron tried to think of something to say, then noticed a stack of papers folded into a binder that was sitting in the drawer. He picked up the binder. "What's this?"

"Oh that...it's just something I've been working on in the little free time Clair lets me have," said Neo as Cameron opened it up and looked it over. "Usually during nights like this. I try to hide it from Clair and my dad, I'm afraid what would happen if they saw it."

_"Vulpixman?"_ asked Neo, looking at the title of the comic book. He flipped a page and saw a wonderful drawing of a manly superhero in an orange spandex suit with a red V on the chest, wearing a helmet with a visor and red hair coming out of it, and a cape that looked like the six red fox tails that come from the red fox Pokémon standing besides him. Cameron knew this fox creature from his travels with Brock in the beginning, it was called Vulpix. "This guy looks like a cross between Superman and Batman."

"Who?" asked Neo.

"Uh...superheroes where I come from," said Cameron, laughing softly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you about them."

"Shrew," said Sandy, nodding. He pointed to the Vulpix and nodded.

"I know, Sandy, the art is beautiful," said Cameron, reading the comic strips which showed Vulpixman fighting criminals that looked like Pokémon. There was a man who looked like a Mr. Mime and was called The Mimer, and there was a female cat burglar dressed like the infamous Meowth called Meowthwoman, and many others. "You have quite a talent, Neo."

"Thanks," said Neo, blushing. "I got the idea from an issue of Gligarman that I bought while I was in Goldenrod City with my dad two years ago. When Clair started my training, I decided to do this to keep myself sane. Wanna hear the story of Vulpixman?"

"Sure," said Cameron.

"Well," said Neo, pausing and rubbing his chin. "Vulpixman used to be a simple white-collar worker for some big company in Sunkern City, but when his wife and kids were shot by a robber, he went into hiding, where he ran across this clan of ninjas who worshipped the great spirit of an immortal Ninetales. After he trained with them in ninjitsu, the Ninetales gave him a Vulpix as his sidekick and they worked together to punish crime in Sunkern City."

"You're just amazing," said Cameron as Sandy nodded. _Sounds a lot like Batman's origins._ "But why a Vulpix?"

"Vulpix is my favorite Pokémon," grinned Neo. "It looks like my real mom."

Cameron looked at the photo of Merisa and nodded. "Yeah, I can see the semblance with the red curly tails and all."

"Shrew sandshrew," said Sandy, smiling.

"Have you shown this to your dad or Clair?" asked Cameron.

"Dad wouldn't be interested," said Neo somberly. "And if Clair saw this, she'd destroy it. She would never let be a cartoonist, because that's not part of her dreams for me."

"So, you don't really want to be a gym leader, right?" asked Cameron.

"Not if it means having to live with...dragons," gulped Neo.

"That's a shame," said Cameron, flipping the pages. "You might be famous if you published this. Do you mind if I read this?"

"Sure, knock yourself out," yawned Neo. He checked the clock. "I have to get to sleep now. Clair wakes me up at 5:30 for training, and I'm sure that she's gonna train me hard all day before she gives me that Dratini tomorrow night."

"G'night, Neo, and happy birthday," said Cameron, getting up with the binder.

"Sandshrew shrew!" said Sandy, making Neo smile.

**0**

Cameron was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the comic was Sandy was sitting in his lap, reading as well. "I think this kid has some talent," said Cameron. "If only his father and stepmother could see this."

A faint giggling was heard, but only Sandy heard it. "Shrew?" He cocked his head and saw a strange Pokémon with a yellow headress winking before it teleported away from the window.

"What is it, Sandy?" asked Cameron, turning his head to the window. "Did you see something?"

"Hey there," said a voice. Cameron turned to see Clair, her hair up in rollers and dressed in a pristine white nightgown with a pair of Dragonairs entwined to look like a heart on the chest area. "I saw the light on and came down to see what was going on." She spotted the book. "Hey, what's that you're reading?"

"Just a hand-made comic book," said Cameron.

Clair pulled the binder to her and looked over the pages. "Wow, this is really artistic, the quality is similar to Gligarman's cartoonist. I didn't know you had such talent, Cameron!"

"Actually, I had nothing to do with this," said Cameron, closing the book. "It was made by someone you know very well."

Clair's eyes widened as she read the title. "Vulpixman, by Neo Foxworth? My stepson did this?"

"Yes, and he's a great cartoonist too," replied Cameron. He waited for the response that Neo had told him about, ready to snatch the binder away if that happened.

However, instead of getting enraged, Clair opened the book again and read the panels slowly, then whistled in awe. "This...this is amazing! I never knew about Neo's talent. I guess...I was so busy training him, I never asked about his interests."

"Your sure trained him hard," said Cameron sourly. "Clair, there are some things I need to tell you right now. Just listen until I finish, and then you can give me your opinions, okay?" He told Clair about the conversation he had, about Neo's fear and desires.

"What? He has...dracophobia?" gasped Clair. "I thought he wanted to take over the gym when I left. Why did he never tell me before?"

"He...I guess he wanted his father to be happy, and his father is happy when you're happy," said Cameron. "Your husband told me about your condition and what he did to make you happy."

Clair blushed, then paused. "And all this time, I was only thinking about myself." She sighed. "I guess I did go a bit overboard, I just wanted him to be tough enough to handle dragons, and all this time he was scared stiff of them. Think of the chaos that would have happened had he started training a Dratini..." She nodded. "Thanks, Cameron, for showing me the error of my ways. I know now what has to be done."

**0**

The alarm went off, but Clair's arm hit the snooze button. She got up and kissed her sleeping husband on the cheek. "I love you, Peter," she whispered. She got up and got dressed, then she walked down the hall and spied Cameron and Sandy sleeping in the guest room. She silently mouthed a thank you, then turned to the room across the hall and peeked in, smiling.

"You're sleeping in today, big boy," she whispered, carefully shutting the door.

A few minutes later, Clair was outside of Blackthorn City, fully dressed. Hoothoots and Zubats flew back into their hollows for the night. The sun slowly rose as Ledyba and Pidgey woke up and preened themselves.

"I know I saw that Pokémon running out here the other day." Clair took out one of her Pokéballs and opened it. "Dratini, come out!"

"Dreee!" cried the small blue serpent-like dragon as it materialized.

"Can you sense it?" asked Clair. The dragon lifted up its head and its horns shivered slightly.

"Dreee!" it cried, slithering into the grass.

"Ah ha, so there you are," said Clair, following her Pokémon. She saw a flash of red zip before her and the two stopped. She pulled a bush away. "There! Hit it with Thunder Wave!"

"Dreeee!" cried the Dratini, narrowing its eyes. Its horns crackled with electric power and bolts of lightning shot forth, snagging the Pokémon. It squealed as paralysis set in.

"Now, use Wrap!" ordered Clair. The dragon lunged forward and wrapped itself around the Pokémon, crushing the life out of it. "Okay, that's enough. Let it go."

Dratini released it.

"Go, Pokéball!" shouted Clair, expanding a ball and throwing it. The ball touched the weakened Pokémon and sucked it inside. The ball rocked a few times, then clicked shut.

"That's it for my birthday shopping," grinned Clair as she took the ball. She patted Dratini on the head. "Good work."

"Dreee!" squealed Dratini with a smile as it was sucked back into its Pokéball.

"Now to stop by Nurse Joy's and get this gift fixed up," said Clair, who turned back to the city. "And then, it's time to go get the strings pulled for Neo's OTHER birthday gift from me. Will he be quite surprised when he finds out!" She pulled the binder which had Neo's comic book out from behind her cape and chuckled softly.

**0**

Several hours later, Neo opened one eye, then bolted up in shock as he saw the time. "11:30? I'm late for training!" he cried. "Clair's gonna kill me until I'm beyond dead!" He quickly threw off his PJs and threw on his shirt and pants and raced to the kitchen, but he nearly stumbled on the stairs when he was plunged into darkness. "Huh? What gives?" He fumbled for the switch and flipped it on.

_**"SURPRISE!"**_

Neo gasped as he saw balloons and streamers, a giant chocolate cake shaped like the number thirteen, and his father, stepmother, Cameron, and Sandy all standing there with presents.

"Happy birthday, Neo!" they said while Sandy blew a paper party whistle which tickled Neo's nose.

"My birthday?" said Neo, surprised and delighted.

"That's right, son," said Peter. "You'd think your old man would forget his kid's birthday? You should know me better than that!"

"But...what about training?" asked Neo. "I overslept."

"Because I let you," said Clair, winking. "This is your annual celebration, so that means no training today, just relaxation, porking out on cake and ice cream, and having fun!" She pushed a chair behind Neo and forced him to sit. "And don't worry, none of the food you'll eat today is hot, except maybe the pizza for dinner!"

"Thanks," said Neo, surprised at Clair's change of behavior. "But you said eating ice cream..."

"I'm not going to get on your back today about your dragon spirit," winked Clair. "It's your special day, after all. So what if your dragon spirit freezes? It'll thaw out." Neo sighed in relief.

"Here son, this is my gift to you," said Peter, handing his son the present.

Neo opened it and gasped at the CD case. "_Nine Inch Ninetales?_ That's my favorite rock band! Thanks, pop!" He gave his dad a big hug.

"Just thought you'd like to hear some groovy music while on your Pokémon journey," said his father with a big grin.

"And this is my present to you," said Cameron, handing Neo a small package. Neo opened it and saw a small red box-like device which flipped open to reveal a CD player.

"Wow, a real Pokédex!" cried Neo. He activated it and Neo's photo was on the screen.

_"I am Dexlina, the official Pokédex of Neo Foxworth. I serve as his I.D., his Pokémon database, and I have a built-in CD player so I can play groovy music like **Nine Inch Ninetales**! Rock on, Neo!"_

_"Vulpix!"_ chirped a voice from the device. 1

Neo smiled, then got confused. "This is a good gift, but how did you get one? I thought only Pokémon professors could give them."

"When I heard about your birthday last night, I asked your father for a photo of you, faxed it to Professor Oak, and he created your specialized Pokédex. He sent it by way of Pidgeot Express, the fastest delivery service in the world. _If we don't deliver before dawn the next day, triple your money back!_"

"I'll always treasure this," said Neo, tucking the Pokédex into his shirt pocket.

"Shrew, sandshrew," said Sandy, handing Neo a corn chip wrapped in a red ribbon.

"Thanks, I think," said Neo, taking it.

"Sandy wanted to give you a bag of chips," laughed Cameron. "But you know how he is with corn chips. I managed to smuggle one away."

Sandy burped. "Shrew," he said, blushing.

The others laughed. "Thanks, it's the thought that counts," said Neo.

"And last but not least, this is my present," said Clair, handing Neo a Pokéball. "For all that hard work you put in these past months, it's time to get your first Pokémon."

"Thanks..." said Neo with a fake smile, shaking like a leaf.

"Open it," said Clair.

Neo sighed and closed his eyes, pressing the ball lock. It split open and something came out.

"Vulpix!"

Neo paused. _That doesn't sound like a Dratini!_ He opened his eyes and gasped as he saw a beautiful red fox with six tails sitting on his lip.

"Vul," it squeaked.

"A Vulpix!" cried Neo gladly.

The Vulpix looked up at Neo, then smiled and licked its hand. Neo petted it, and then suddenly it leapt up to his face and licked his cheek like a big slobbery dog. "Vulpix!"

"Ha ha ha, stop it!" laughed Neo. "You're cute!"

"Vulpix," said the fox Pokémon with a smile.

Neo hugged Vulpix and turned to Clair. "Thank you, Clair."

"I found this girl in the woods the other week," said Clair. "So I decided to catch it for you."

Neo turned to his new Pokémon. "So you're a girl, aren't ya? Why don't I name you Vulli?"

"Vul!" cried the fox happily, glad to hear that name.

"Say cheeze whiz!" cried Peter, taking out a camera and snapping a shot of Neo and his new Vulpix.

**0**

Needless to say, Neo's birthday was the happiest day of his life. He and his family and new friends ate cake and ice cream, had a dinner of pepperoni and sausage pizza, which happened to be both Cameron's and Neo's favorite pizza. (A miracle! Two people in the same room actually like the same pizza toppings!) Neo played with his new Vulpix, while Cameron taught him how to care for Vulpix thanks to his _Care and Feeding of Pokémon_ book Brock gave to Cameron on his birthday.

Night had fallen and Neo was lying happily in bed, glad that his first birthday with his new mom was the best ever. But he was curious as he saw Vulli sleeping peacefully, curled up like a cat. "How did she know Vulpix was my favorite Pokémon?"

"Knock, knock," Clair said on the other side of the door. "You still awake, birthday boy?"

"Yes," said Neo. Clair entered the room. "Thanks for giving me a Vulpix for my birthday. She's a wonderful Pokémon."

"My pleasure," said Clair, carefully sitting on the bed so that Vulli wouldn't wake up. "You deserve it after all the harsh training I put you through the past few months." She grabbed Neo's arm, flexed it, and pinched his biceps. "Just look at how much stronger you've become since we first met."

Neo laughed softly, to avoid waking Vulli up. "But...I thought you were going to give me a Dratini for my first Pokémon."

"Well, Cameron told me about your dracophobia," said Clair softly.

"He...he did?" gasped Neo.

"Yes, he did," said Clair. "And for that, I am very glad. I would _never_ give anyone a dragon Pokémon if they had dracophobia, there would be nothing but chaos." She hung her head. "If I had known from the outset that you feared dragons and didn't want to be my successor, I wouldn't have put you through all that. It's just that I went through that when I was your age. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you had your reasons," said Neo. "I should have had the courage to tell you, but I couldn't bear to break your or dad's heart."

"And all this time, I thought you were just afraid of me," said Clair softly. She noticed the photo on the table. "So, this is your real mom? Was she really a good mother to you?"

"The best," said Neo. "She was loving and kind. I miss her so much!" And a tear came down his cheek.

"I was a horrible replacement when I married your father," said Clair somberly. A tear came down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Neo!" She hugged him tightly.

Neo was a bit taken aback. After having lived with a mean ruthless gym leader who bossed him around and force-fed him spicy food, she had changed. "I just...wanted you and dad to be happy, and I thought that by becoming your successor, you would be happy."

"No, you should live your own dreams, Neo," said Clair, giving the comic back.

"My Vulpixman comic?" stammered Neo. "You read it?"

"Yes, Cameron introduced me to Vulpixman and let me borrow this for the time being," said Clair with a smile. "I think this is really great. You're an excellent artist and storyteller, Neo. I especially loved the comic where Vulpixman saved the Officer Jenny from The Delibird's exploding present deathtrap and caused her to fall in love with her. That's so romantic!"

"Thank you, I did that in my spare time," said Neo. "I hope to make more of these in the future."

"Maybe if you continue, you may become as famous as Gligarman's author," said Clair, smiling. "You don't have to be a gym leader."

Neo paused and thought about it. "Actually, I'd love to be a gym leader too."

Clair's jaw dropped. "You mean you still want to be a gym leader, after all that training?"

"Yes," said Neo. "But not a dragon trainer. Instead, I want to find my own theme for the Blackthorn Gym when I take over." He softly patted Vulli's fur. "With Vulli's help, I'll be a Pokémon master."

"Vulpix," murmured Vulli in her sleep.

"I am so blessed to have a strong, kind, and forgiving boy as my stepson," said Clair, hugging him.

"Thank you...mom," said Neo.

**_"Neo!"_** cried Clair happily, as she was glad that Neo had finally accepted her as a mother. Vulli woke up and saw the two hugging.

"Vulpix," she said with a smile, glad that she was now this boy's Pokémon.

**0**

A couple of days later, Neo was prepared for his Pokémon journey. He stepped out of the house, dressed in a purple turtleneck, blue jeans, green sneakers, a black Poke-belt, and a red backpack with the Rising Badge symbol on it. Vulli was by his side.

Neo inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Ah! This is great weather to start a Pokémon journey," he said. He looked down at Vulli. "What do you say, girl?"

"Vul vulpix," said the fox, smiling.

"Neo! Over here!" said a voice. Neo walked over to his stepmother and father, who were standing on the front yard.

"I can't believe it," said Peter with a big grin. "My little boy is going off on his own Pokémon journey." He wiped a tear from his eye.

"Are you all right, dad?" asked Neo.

"I'm fine now, son!" said Peter. "I just realized that you've been growing up all these months. Your mother would be shedding tears of pride if she saw you today!"

"Thanks, dad," said Neo, hugging him tightly. "I'll make you proud!"

"That's what I trained him for," said Clair, her hands behind her back. She approached Neo and removed her hands, revealing a white box. "Neo, this is something I had gotten for you yesterday. It's a little aid for your journey." She winked slyly.

"Thanks, mom," said Neo. "What's inside?"

"Do me a favor and don't open it until you feel the time is right," said Clair, taking the box and shoving it in his backpack. "It would spoil the surprise."

"Okay, mom," said Neo, comfortable calling Clair his mom.

"Give me a goodbye kiss," said Clair, and Neo hugged her and kissed her cheek. As they broke apart, she gave him the evil eye. "Whatever you do, don't slack off on your training, Neo! Just because I'm not there doesn't mean you can be lazy!"

"Yes, mom...I mean, yes ma'am!" said Neo, saluting nervously.

"Ah, lighten up," laughed Clair, giving Neo a noogie. "I'm just kidding. Do whatever you want on your journey, as long as it's not against the law or something you'll regret."

Neo bowed. "I'll make you both proud!"

"Ready to go, champ?" said a voice. Neo turned to see Cameron, backpack on, and Sandy.

"You're coming with me?" asked Neo, shocked.

"You're new to Pokémon," grinned Cameron. "Ash told me about how Brock and Misty had traveled with him and helped him with advice. I thought I'd be your companion, in case you need help. If that's okay with your parents and you, I'd love to accompany you on your journey."

Clair and Peter nodded and Neo smiled, his eyes glittering. "Not at all, I'd be glad to have the Rocket-slayer traveling with me!"

"Then it's settled," said Cameron. "Together we'll travel this wide world of Pokémon and meet interesting people, battle gym leaders for badges, and catch many Pokémon old and new. Maybe we'll discover Pokémon which haven't been discovered yet!" He patted Scaleon's Pokéball.

"Then let's go!" said Neo.

Cameron, Sandy, and Neo waved goodbye and walked down the road from Blackthorn City. Vulli ran around them, enjoying the green grassy fields. Peter and Clair held their hands lovingly.

"You have a wonderful son, my dear," said Clair.

"You mean WE have a wonderful son, my snapdragon," grinned Peter.

Clair suddenly felt something odd. "Grease?" She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Let me guess, you've been eating another one of those triple-deckers behind my back, **_haven't you?_**"

Peter let go and wiped his face, smearing mustard on his cheek. "Well...uh...you see...I can explain."

"No need," said Clair, turning on him angrily. "It looks like we'll have to work off that meat, mister!" She took out a long whip and grinned devilishly. "It looks like I've found someone else to train... someone who NEEDS IT!" She cracked the whip. "Give me thirty laps around the house, NOW!"

"Yes sweetums!" gasped Peter as he started to jog while Clair stood there, smiling. "Good luck, Neo!"

**To be continued...**

1 That line was for those who are Japanese or know the "Pocket Monsters" anime. You see, Vulpix's original Japanesename is _Rokon_, and the Pokedex said "Rock on." Get it? Rock on...Rokon...Vulpix! (Hears Ninjask chirping and sweatdrops.) Nevermind.


	3. Electrike Avenue

Well, everyone, I hope you enjoyed that last chapter.

(Sees that only Cullen is in the stands.)

Hey, what happened to my readers? (Releases his Pokémon; Flygon, Gardevoir, Sceptile, Golduck, and Combusken.) Go, my loyal Pokémon! Get those readers back here!

(The Pokémon scatter and moments later, they use their powers to force the readers back into the stands.)

Thank you. (Recalls his Pokémon.) Geez, guys, if you didn't like it, you could have sent me feedback or a review. Now, for your punishment, you have to read CHAPTER 2!

(Unholy screams echo from the stage. Luckily, it was a sound effect machine.)

**_MWA HA HA HA!_** I'm so evil! (Coughs.) Anyways, you know the disclaimers: Pokémon isn't mine, nor are Cameron, Sandy, or Neo. Everything else is.

Now enjoy and send me reviews...or else! (Gets arrested by the Badfic Police for threatening readers for not giving reviews.)

**NOTE:** The names of the villians comes from the name of an Australian bushranger(an outlaw which used the bushes of the outback as hiding spots) known for his violent temper and heavy drinking. I got this all from Wikipedia. (See? Wikipedia does have GOOD info!) Another thing, I apologize to Cullen for having Buzz and any other Pokemon he had said their names shout other cries instead, but I feel like it would be anime-authentic if I used their cries in the anime. Don't freak out if you hear them saying things other than their names. (A giant Kingler skitters by, saying "Koo kik! Koo kik!")

**NOTE 2:** I apologize if you don't see the tilde over the "e" in "Pokemon", but my word processor requires me to insert each special "e" manually instead of the old Alt-130 trick(I don't have a numeric pad on my laptop), so it's tedious. I apologize, and know that the word is messed up in this chapter. My last edit was stopped by a server crash and I was too frustrated to re-edit the whole thing.

**0**

**Poké-Odyssey Neo  
A fanfic by King Dragun  
Some characters made by Cullen Pittman**

**0**

**Part 2: Electrike Avenue**

Cameron Fusterman and his friend Sandy were through the mountains around Blackthorn City with their companions, Neo Foxworth and Vulli the Vulpix. They were heading for New Bark Town to meet with Professor Elm, a friend of Oak's, for advice on where to go next.

"Wow," said Cameron, gingerly stepping down the mountain trail. "These mountains are steep."

"You've seen nothing," said Neo. "Twice a week, Clair would make me climb steeper cliffs. Sometimes without equipment."

"Wow, talk about crazy!" said Cameron. "To be honest, how did you survive all that? If it had been me, I'd be a broken man to this very day."

Neo scratched the back of his neck. "To be honest, Clair's harsh training helped me get my mind off of my mom's death. I had no time to mourn over mom's death with Clair drilling me. You could say she made a man out of me."

"Sort of like how I became a man at your age," said Cameron, recalling the day when he was dragged from his world to the Pokémon world and learned about his father's demise. He looked up at the setting sun and smiled gently.

"You okay, Cameron?" asked Neo.

Cameron turned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh yeah, just watching the sun set. It's getting dark. We should set up camp for the night."

**0**

Luckily, there was a nice clearing in the mountains. Cameron gathered some firewood and made a makeshift campire. "I think I should let out my Pokémon out." He threw out four Pokéballs. "Come on out, guys!"

The balls split open and blasts of light materialized into a large rufflesia flower where the stem was a humanoid figure, a four-winged purple bat, a humanoid pink hippotamous creature with a shell crown that had evil eyes and a red-and-white collar, and a yellow humanoid with prongs for ears, wild hair, and black bolt-like stripes, as well as a fanged face.

"Wow, these are the Pokémon who helped you fight Team Rocket in Pallet Town!" cried Neo.

"Well, let me introduce you," said Cameron. "Guys, this is Neo Foxworth, our new companion, and his first Pokémon, Vulli the Vulpix. Neo, let me introduce you. This is my Vileplume, which I call V.P."

"Vileplume!" said the flower, bowing to him.

"This is Batty, my Crobat," said Cameron. "I met her in Mt. Moon and she evolved twice in one hour! No really, she did!"

"Crobat!" said the bat, giving a smile as he flew around Neo and Vulli.

"This here is Buzz, my Electabuzz," said Cameron, motioning to the yellow humanoid. "He was given to me by one of Lt. Surge's trainers."

"Wow, you got a Pokémon from the Vermillion Gym?" asked Neo. "That's awesome!"

"ELEBUU!" cried Buzz, saluting with a fierce grin.

"He's been through a lot," laughed Cameron. "Remind me to tell you about his amazing transformations in Ryooku some time."He turned to the pink hippo-man Pokémon. "Finally, this is Slowie, my Slowking. It's an even longer story about how I met him and how he evolved, but ever since we met, he's been been there for me, and he even helped me save Ash from Mewtwo."

"Hello, Neo," said the Slowking in a drawl.

"Whoa, did he just talk?" cried Neo, backing up in shock.

"Yeah, he's actually learning new words every day," said Cameron, laughing. "I was surprised as you were when he started to speak our language."

"Say, is this all you have?" asked Neo, looking around at the Pokemon. "I heard mom talking to you about a sixth Pokémon..."

Cameron paused. "Well, I do have a sixth Pokémon, but...I don't know if I should let her out. You see, she's...a dragon."

Neo shuddered, then spoke. "Go ahead. Let me see her. I need to get over this dracophobia, for Clair's sake."

"Okay," said Cameron, throwing out the Level Ball. "Scaleon, come out!"

The Pokémon emerged in a blast of light. **_"SCALEON!"_** it hissed.

"Scaleon, I want you to meet my new friends, Neo and Vulli."

"Vulpix!" gasped Vulli, wide-eyed as she looked up at the dragon.

"Scale," said Scaleon, licking Vulpix with her forked tongue.

"Now..." Cameron looked around. "Neo, where are you?"

Neo was hiding behind a rock, shaking. "What was I _thinking_? Why couldn't I be afraid of bug Pokémon or something small?" choked Neo. Suddenly, he saw something green and scaly snake around him and pull him out. He was lifted up into the eyes of the mighty Scaleon. Neo looked on in fear as the creature licked him with his tongue, then let out a blood-curdling scream!

"Scaleon, put him down!" Cameron ordered.

Scaleon frowned and obeyed, relaxing her coils...and dropping a still-screaming Neo right on top of Cameron.

"Oof, thanks," grunted Cameron. "Sorry, but I think you'll have to stay in your Pokéball for a while."

"Scale," whispered Scaleon sadly, wondering what had happened as she was sucked into her Level Ball.

Cameron pulled Neo off, got up, and slapped the boy's cheek lightly. "Neo! It's all right! She's gone!"

Neo stopped screaming, but moaned slightly.

"Vulpix!" cried Vulli, leaping onto his chest and licking him, but she sneezed and some smoke got into his nose, making him cough and hack.

"It's okay, I needed that," choked Neo, sitting up.

"I'm sorry, Neo, but that's how Scaleon shows her affection," said Cameron sadly.

"It's...It's not your fault," sighed Neo. "I was hoping that if I saw Scaleon, I'd overcome my fears. I was dead wrong."

"Don't worry, you'll get over your fears of dragons eventually," said Cameron with a gentle smile. "It just takes time. I was spooked once when an Octillery grabbed me and dragged me underwater, but then I learned that she was a motherly creature who mistook me for her child. She's now living back at my house as a loving mother figure and I'm thankful she came into my life." He rubbed his chin. _I should trade Scaleon for Octillery until Neo's over his fear, but then I'd have to deal with her hugging me each time she comes out! I guess it's better than having Neo hide all the time._

"You have an Octillery?" asked Neo.

"Yes", smiled Cameron, taking out his wallet. "Here's a picture of her." And he handed Neo a picture of an orange octopus Pokémon with her tentacles draped around Cameron and a beautiful oriental girl in a kimono.

"Wow, who's the pretty lady?" asked Neo, blushing.

"That's my dear wife, Reiko," said Cameron. "The most wonderful blessing I could ever ask for."

"Oh yeah," said Neo. "I've heard about her. She was once a member of the evil Team Rocket,but sherepented."

"Reiko really wasn't evil," said Cameron. "She got forced into that evil organization by being there at the wrong time."

"And you helped her get her life back and ended up marrying her," said Neo with a shy smile. "**_Everyone_** knows about that story. Clair thinks it's so romantic. You're so lucky to have a girl as pretty as her!"

"Well..." said Cameron, blushing. "Well, um, uh...Hey, let's have dinner!" said Cameron, trying to change the subject by taking out a can of cocktail weenies and corn chips.

"SHREW!" said Sandy, clapping his claws together.

**0**

After a delicious campfire dinner, Cameron and Neo were in their sleeping bags, slumbering away. Sandy was curled up next to Cameron and Vulli's tails were snuggled around Neo's face.

Just then, Vulli awoke to a strange crumpling noise.

"Vul?" Vulpix opened her eyes and noticed a strange green creature with yellow stripes on its body rummaging in one of the corn chip bags. She nudged Neo awake. "Vulpix! Vulpix!"

"Uh, what is it?" mumbled Neo, sitting up and putting on his glasses. He saw the creature in the bag. "What's that? A Pokémon?"

Cameron got up and put on his glasses. "What's up, Neo?"

"Shrew?" asked Sandy, alerted by the rustling bag.

"It looks like someone else besides us was in a bag," said Neo, pointing to the green-and-yellow hindquarters and short stubby split tail sticking out of the bag.

"SHREW!" snarled Sandy, running over and yanking the bag away. He shook it and snarled, for there were no crumbs.

"Electrike!" snarled the creature with a hoarse growl. It was revealed to be a canine as big as a Raticate with a flat head made of green leaf-like plates that went to its waist. Its jaws looked to be square, like a wolf's jaws, and yellow stripes were on its back, tip of its tail, and side of its wide head, making it look like a strange alien dog.

"That Pokémon looks like a certain Dick Tracy villian," said Cameron. "Hey, try out your Pokédex, Neo. When I got it from Professor Oak, he told me that he updated it with information on newly-discovered Pokemon."

"Okay," said Neo as he flipped open his Pokédex and tapped a button that made the Dex scan a Pokémon. It scanned the strange quadraped and revealed an entry with the same creature and Dexlina's voice rang out.

_"Electrike: The Lightning Pokémon. It generates electricity by using friction from the atmosphere. In seasons with especially arid air, its entire body explodes with violent showers of sparks."_

"Electrike," hissed the creature angrily.

"Wow, I've never seen this creature before," said Neo.

"Neither had I," said Cameron. He got an idea. "Hey, why don't you try to catch it? That way, Vulli gains some experience and you'll have yourself another Pokémon."

"Okay, I'll try that!" said Neo. "Vulli, let's go battle that Electrike!"

"Vul?" asked Vulpix, a giant flaming question mark appearing over her head.

"Go on, attack!" said Neo.

"Uh, Neo, Pokémon battles don't work that way," said Cameron with a sweatdrop. "You have to tell it which attacks to use."

"Oh, I see," said Neo, blushing shamefully. "Uhm...Vulpix, Dragon Rage!"

"Vuuuuul..." moaned Vulli, putting her paws over her eyes. The others(save Electrike) facefaulted.

"Vulpix can't _use_ Dragon Rage," said Cameron. "I thought you knew everything about Vulpix, since you love it so much."

"I know," said Neo. "But Clair never let me study any attacks other than stuff dragon Pokémon know." He saw the Electrike sit down and clean its fur, obviously bored.

"Well, **_I_** know what attacks a Vulpix can use..." said Cameron, recalling his days with the Gameboy. "Have Vulli use an Ember attack."

"Okay," said Neo. "Vulli, use Ember!"

"Vul!" cried Vulli, opening her mouth at the Electrike...and all that came out was a puff of smoke.

"What the...?" said Cameron. "Ember is one of Vulpix's first attacks, it should have that!" He sighed. "Okay, try a Quick Attack."

"Vulli, use Quick Attack on Electrike!" said Neo.

"Vulpix!" cried Vulli, charging at Electrike...but instead of smacking the creature down, she bounced off its skin.

"Electrike," said the Electrike, waving its tail happily.

Vulpix suddenly winced in pain, shuddering. "Vulpix!"

"Vulli, are you okay? Did that thing use an electric attack?" asked Neo. He activated his Pokédex.

_"Electrike's trait - Static: Whenever a Pokémon does a body-contact attack like Quick Attack on this Pokémon, it has a small chance of being paralyzed by static electricity in its body."_

"Oh no," said Neo. He watched Vulli struggle to move, but it was no good. Paralysis had set in.

"Trike!" said Electrike, obviously bored with this display. Facing Vulpix with an evil grin, it glowed yellow and sparks shot out.

"Oh no, it's using an electric attack!" cried Cameron. "Watch out!"

Neo screamed and threw himself in Vulli's path. He winced as the Spark hit him instead.

"Neo!" cried Cameron in horror, watching his friend get zapped silly.

"Come on, you mutt," said Neo, shaking with the electrocution. "Zap me until you can't zap any more!" Eventually, Electrike stopped and panted, having grown tired.

Cameron and Sandy opened their eyes and saw Neo heaving, his body covered in soot and his hair sticking up like a punk's.

**_"POKÉBALL! GO!"_** cried Neo, tossing a Pokéball.

"Electrike!" cried Electrike, trying to use Quick Attack to escape, but it flopped over, too tired to move, and the ball touched it, opening up and sucking the creature up into it. The ball shook...

...and shook...

...and shook...

PING!

"Did...I just catch...an Electrike without using my Pokémon?" panted Neo.

"Sure looks like it," said Cameron, recalling how he caught his first Pokémon the same way, by throwing a ball at V.P. when he still a little Oddish as it was attacking Sandy.

"I did it!" cried Neo, punching the air and making it sparkle(since he was still charged with electricity). He ran up and picked up the ball, then displayed it. "I caught an Electrike!"

"Are you all right?" asked Cameron, concerned. "That Spark attack did a number on you!"

"I'm fine," coughed Neo. "That was nothing compared to the training Clair put me through. Those wires she attached to me during my trivia training were electrical, so this was nothing."

"Well, you remind me of Ash," chuckled Cameron. "He got shocked lots of times by his Pikachu."

"I wonder if I'll ever measure up to him," said Neo. "What do you think, Vulli?"

"Vul...pix," moaned Vulli.

"Oh no, I forgot that you're paralyzed!" said Neo, running up to pick him up, but a zap of static electricity pushed him back. He took his Pokéball and aimed it. "Return." The beam of light sucked up Vulli. He looked at his Pokéballs. "We have to get these guys healed. You got any potions?"

Cameron searched through his backpack and shook his head. "I'm all out." He took out his Pokégear, which Jenny had given him for his sixteenth birthday, and activated it. "We're in luck, there is a Pokémon center just a few miles from here. Nurse Joy can cure them."

"Let's get going then, lead the way," said Neo.

Cameron led Neo down the trail.

"It's amazing that I got a new Pokémon so soon," said Neo, looking at the ball he held which held his new Electrike. "I wonder if he'll resent me after I call him out."

"I don't think so," said Cameron. "I remember when I first caught V.P., he was a tiny Oddish who was tried to use Absorb on Sandy."

"Shrew!" snarled Sandy, not wanting to be reminded of that awful incident.

"But after Oddish evolved, he behaved and we became good friends," said Cameron. "Right, Sandy?"

Sandy nodded. V.P. had evolved into a kind and caring flower over the years.

"Maybe I should train my new Electrike to be loyal and kind like Vulli," said Neo, looking at his two Pokéballs. "I hope the people at the Pokémon center can heal him..."

He was so focused on his Pokéballs that he didn't notice someone running towards him until it was too late. With a crash, the two bonked heads and landed on their bottoms.

"Owie," moaned the other person.

Cameron turned and saw that Neo had collided with a woman his age. She had a lavender ponytail and wore what looked to be a silver jumpsuit with a large black "A" over the chestbone area.

"Are you all right?" asked Cameron, helping the two up. Something bothered him about the woman's attire. _If I wasn't sure that they were gone, I'd say this woman was ripping off of..._

"I'll be okay," said Neo, brushing himself off.

"Me too," said the girl in a high-pitched voice, like something a ditzy airhead would use.

"I'm terribly sorry, miss," said Neo, straightening his glasses. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"That's okay," said the girl as she picked up the sack she had dropped. "No broken bones. If I did, I'd have Poochyena swarming all over me! Tee hee!"

The two got big question marks over their heads.

"Oh, that's a neat trick!" said the girl, plucking the question mark from Neo's head and taking a big bite out of it. She chewed a few times, and then swallowed. "I've always wondered what question marks taste like, and let's just say...the taste is...**questionable**! Ha ha ha!" She gasped. "Oh no, I've gotta deliver this! Sorry, can't stay to talk! Ta ta for now!" She ran off.

"Curiouser and curiouser," said Cameron.

Neo scratched his staticy hair. "I wonder what was in that sack?"

**0**

In another part of the woods, a man who was the same age as Cameron paced a campsite. He had a handsome face, short blonde hair, and wore a similar silver jumpsuit with the "A" on the chest. The only difference was that he was wearing what looked to be a modern jet pilot's helmet without the visor.

"Where is that girl?" he snarled impatiently. "I'm going to be old and in retirement by the time..."

"Dan! Dan!" cried a voice, as the girl from before ran into the clearing. "I got it!" She tripped on a rock. "Whoops!"

The bag flew out of her hands and almost landed in the blazing campfire. Luckily, the man, Dan, grabbed it just in time. "You nitwit!" he snapped. "Don't you realize, Morgan, how much work we had to go through to get this thing! If it gets destroyed, we'll have to search all over for another!"

"Maybe we could find it in your sock drawer," giggled the girl. "I looked in mine and found some silver. Wait, that was the silver paint chipping off the dresser. Hee hee hee!"

"Why in the name of Ho-Oh did I get ever stuck with the likes of you?" grumbled the man, opening the sack and looking in. He pulled out a large emerald-colored scale that glistened in the light of the campfire. "Yes, this might be it, a scale from the legendary dragon, Rayquaza!"

"Did I do good?" asked Morgan.

"Good?" snapped Dan. "We're Team Aeon. We don't do good, only bad!"

"Sorry, my bad," said Morgan, blushing. "I mean, my good!"

"That's a good...I mean, bad girl," chuckled Dan. Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, he changed the subject. "Can we be sure this scale is the real deal?"

"I...I dunno," said Morgan, fidgeting. "The guy you sent me to pick it up from said it was genuine. He said he barely escaped with his life from the Sky Pillar in the Hoenn region after plucking that scale from the big green lizard!"

"Well, he'd better be honest, unless he wants his life threatened again," snarled Dan. "I think we'd better get the opinion of a _real_ dragon!" He walked over to a tree and knocked on the trunk. "Hey Baggy, come down here! We need your help!"

"Ach!" said a deep-throated Irish accent. "And just as I was gettin' a wee bit of shut-eye!" Out of the branches jumped a small blue Pokémon. "What is it ye want?"

Dan held the scale up to it. "Is this a real scale from the great Rayquaza?"

The Pokémon sniffed it with his big pug nose. "Aye, as true as I be a dragon, that indeed be a scale from the legendary Rayquaza!"

"Excellent," said Dan with a wicked grin. He opened his backpack to reveal two more things, a giant sharp tooth and a jagged claw, both as big as the scale. "That makes phase one of our Boss's plan complete. We now have all three of the necessary rare items: a tooth from the titan of the seas, Kyogre; a claw from the titan of the land, Groudon; and a scale from the sky titan, Rayquaza! That means we can get to the next phase, obtaining all seventeen types of Pokémon. Due to the prophecy we got on that translated tablet, these three items must be empowered with the elements of all seventeen types of attacks." He turned to Morgan. "Do you still have that Electrike we stole from Professor Palm's lab?"

"Sure do!" said Morgan, taking a Pokéball and throwing it. It hit the ground and split open, but nothing happened. "Huh?"

"Hey, where's that Electrike?" asked Dan. "The Pokéball is empty!"

"Oh dear, I forgot!" said Morgan, giggling. "I let it out for some air and it ran off. Hee hee!"

"WHAT?" cried Dan, getting in her face. She cringed. "You foolish little airhead ditz! That was a very rare Pokémon!" He threw his hands up. "Why did I even think of letting you hold the equipment for this mission? You can't even operate a can operator without twisting your thumbs...or mine!"

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" whined Morgan.

"Would apologizing bring that Electrike back?" growled Dan.

"How about..._Here Electrike, here puppy_!" She whistled, then paused and started whistling "Whistle While You Work."

"Oh great, her brain just got smaller," grumbled Dan, slapping his forehead.

"Enough of this!" snapped the small Pokémon. "Morgan, tell us where you last had it!"

"Well, as I was running back with the goods, I ran into this kid who said he had a new Electrike and a Vulpix," said Morgan. "His friend was really cute and he had a cute Sandshrew!"

"Wait a sec...did you say that kid caught an Electrike?" cried Dan. "That must be our Electrike, there's no other one in these parts!"

"And there was a Vulpix and Sandshrew too!" said the Pokémon in glee. "That's just perfect! We can use those Pokémon instead of that Numel we stole!"

"Yeah, considering how lamebrained the Numel got around his new trainer," sighed Dan, looking angrily at Morgan. "It'd be a little work, but we could kill two Taillow with one stone if we get our hands on those Pokémon! Morgan, where were those two headed?"

"I think they were going to the nearby Pokémon center," said Morgan.

"Then let's get going and apprehend them!" laughed Dan. The two picked up their bags and left. The small Pokémon sighed as it saw the campfire.

"Ach, stupid humans!" it said. "Dinna ya know you never leave a campfire burning?" It inhaled and launched a powerful blast of water that totally extinguished the fire and washed it away before waddling after the others.

**0**

Cameron and Neo were hanging out in the Pokémon center, waiting for Nurse Joy to return. "My first Pokémon center," grinned Neo. "This place is really relaxing."

"Yeah, I think that centers are great," said Cameron, taking in the atmosphere of the Pokémon center. He then noticed a videophone. "Hey, I think I'll call Pallet Town and see how my wife and Ash are doing." He went over and picked up the receiver, then dialed a number.

Ash's face appeared on the screen, yawning. "Who interrupted my sleep?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot it was nighttime," laughed Cameron. "I'm sorry to disturb you and Misty."

"Actually, Misty's out on the town with Reiko," yawned Ash. "They decided to go explore the nightlife, so Reiko won't be home until dawn."

"Oh," said Cameron. "Knowing my wife, our credit card will get cut in half by angry restaurant waiters again." He laughed nervously. "Luckily I have a backup account in Johto she doesn't know about."

"Hey, are you Ash Ketchum?" asked Neo, butting in.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," laughed Ash. "Let me guess, you must be Neo. Cameron told me about you yesterday on the phone, while you were celebrating your thirteenth birthday. Happy birthday, kid! I remember when I first got Pikachu." He smiled nostagalically.

"I read about you in _Pokémon Monthly_," said Neo. "You're my other hero!"

"Pika pi!" cried Pikachu, leaping up to the screen.

"Have you been watching the late-night movie channel again, Pikachu?" scolded Ash. Pikachu sweatdropped and gave a nervous "pi" laugh.

"Hey, it's the famous Pikachu!" said Neo. "You're as famous as Sandy!"

Pikachu blushed deeply. "Ka!"

"You sure like to give lots of praise," said Ash. "Maybe when you become as popular as I am, people will be praising you!"

"Actually, I just started my journey," said Neo. "And I just caught my second Pokémon."

"Already? Wow," said Ash. "I didn't get my second Pokémon until I got to Viridian Forest. I remember those days clearly." He then sweatdropped as he recalled how he kept trying to grab Pidgey and Rattata and then he knocked the head of a Spearow who attacked Pikachu. "Those early times made me and Pikachu close friends."

"Cha," said Pikachu, nodding. He recalled how in the beginning, he ran up a tree and refused to battle, but when he shocked that Spearow and it called its friends to attack, Ash did his best to save him and since that day, he and Ash had been best buds.

"You know, if you keep training Pokémon, you'll be great someday," said Ash.

"Thanks, Ash, I'll remember that," said Neo, saluting.

"Nice," said Ash.

"Just like how I greet my Officer Jenny relatives," said Cameron.

Nurse Joy came out. "Neo, your Pokémon are healed and ready to go."

"Well, I gotta go," said Neo. "It was an honour to talk to you, Ash."

"I expect great things from you, Neo," said Ash with a smile. "Cameron, be a good companion to him, just like I was to you."

"I will," said Cameron with a smile as he hung up. The screen went off as Neo and Cameron approached the counter. A tray with pillows had been set on it and Sandy, Vulli, and Electrike were relaxing on the pillows.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," said Neo and Sandy leapt off the tray. "My Pokémon are looking better." He patted Vulli's head. "You two okay?"

"Vulpix!" said Vulli, licking her trainer's hand.

"Electrike!" said the Electrike, nuzzling against Vulli's fur.

"Hey, it looks like you two have become fast friends," said Neo happily.

"And I see Sandy had a nice time too," said Cameron, rubbing his sidekick's head.

"Shrew sandshrew," said Sandy, nodding. He loved being treated by Nurse Joy.

"They were very well-behaved," said Joy with a grin. "While I was treating them, they got along just fine." She then pulled something from her apron. "By the way, I found this tied around your Electrike's leg as I was treating him."

Cameron took the tag from Joy and read it. _"Property of Zachary Q. Palm of Bouillion Town."_

"That reminds me,"said Joy, taking a milk carton. "When I was having my morning oatmeal, I found this wanted picture." On the carton was a notice that read **_MISSING_** and had photos of Electrike, an orange crawfish-like Pokémon with three prongs on its head and big eyes, and a small dromedary like Pokémon with curly hair below its stubby ears and stubby legs. A green blotch surrounded a giant hole in its hump.

"That Electrike looks like mine," said Neo. He got blue. "That means this Electrike isn't really mine to begin with, it ran away from home."

"I'm sorry, Neo," said Cameron. He then looked at the other photos. "Say, what are those other Pokémon?"

"Corphish and Numel," said Joy.

"Corphish?" asked Neo, activating his Pokedex.

"Numel?" asked Cameron, doing the same.

_"Corphish: The Ruffian Pokémon," _said Neo's Pokedex, showing the picture of the crawfish Pokemon."_Once it grips prey with its large pincers, it will never let go, no matter what. It is a hardy Pokémon that can survive in any environment."_

Cameron's Pokedex showed the camel Pokemon._"Numel: The Numb Pokémon. Numel stores boiling magma in the hump on its back. It is a hardy Pokémon that can transport a 220-pound load. It has served humans at work long ago."_

"Wow, we just discovered three new Pokémon today!" said Cameron as the two put away their Pokedices. "The Pokémon world sure has a lot of nifty creatures, doesn't it, Sandy?"

"Shrew," said Sandy, smiling.

"So, where is this Professor Palm?" asked Neo. "I think we need to return this Electrike to him."

"I know all about him," said Joy. "Before I came here, I used to be the Nurse Joy in Bouillon Town in the Wonton Islands."

"Wonton Islands?" asked Cameron.

"That's right," said Joy, taking out a large map and opening it. She pointed to another continent far to the southwest of Johto. "This is Hoenn, and far to the west of it..." She moved her finger to a set of two large islands. "There are the Wonton Islands. The islands have many Pokémon which used to live in Hoenn before immigrating there due to settlers."

"Wow," said Cameron. "Does it have gyms too?"

"Yes, the Wonton Gyms work in a waysimilar to the Ryooku gyms," said Joy. When Cameron looked at her, she smiled. "Before you ask how I know of Ryooku's gyms, I heard all about your travels in Ryooku from my cousin six times removed in Vinegar City. She told me thatthe trainers who get the badges from therego to Bouillon Town to participate in the gym challenges in the Wonton Isles, which are much more challenging than Ryooku's gyms." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I also heard that the Wonton League Champion is tougher than you, Ash, and the Ryooku League Champion all mixed together!"

"Yeeks!" cried Cameron, gulping. Sandy gulped too.

"Wow," said Neo, eager to try out these new gyms. "Do you think we can go to these islands?"

"You're in luck," said Joy. "There's a blimp station that travels to Bouillon Town every night."

"Sounds like a plan," said Cameron. "Then we can return Electrike to its true master."

"Aw, I was getting attached to the little guy," said Neo sadly, patting its head.

"Trike," said Electrike.

"I know how you feel, and I bet Professor Palm is worried sick," said Joy.

"Yeah, you're right...I hate to do it, but we need to take Electrike back to its true owner," said Neo. "So, when is the blimp leaving?"

Joy checked her watch. "Oh, about ten minutes."

**_"Ten minutes?"_** cried the boys.

"We've gotta get moving!" cried Cameron, picking up Sandy.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" said Neo rapidly as he sucked Vulli and Electrike into their Pokéballs.

"My pleasure, boys," said Joy, giggling. "Good luck in the Wonton League!"

**0**

The two crooks were crouching outside the center doors, holding scary-looking rifles. "You know the plan, right?" said Dan.

"Yeah!" said Morgan. "We barge in and threaten those two to give up their Pokémon or else we'll squirt them with our super-soakers! Tee hee!"

"Don't tell them that, or they won't be intimidated!" snapped Dan.

"Why do we have super-soaker guns anyway?" asked Morgan.

"Because our Boss is a C-H-E-A-P-S-K-A-T-E," hissed Dan.

"Chestnut?" asked Morgan.

"Forget it," grumbled Dan. "Now, on the count of three...one...two..."

**_WHAM!_ **The double doors slammed open and Cameron and Neo ran out at top speed, running down the trail like sand dervishes. The doors swung back, revealing the swirly-eyed criminals.

A blast of water woke them up. "Wake up, ye addlebrains!" snarled the blue Pokémon. "Those two are getting away!"

"Thanks for the wet wake-up call, Baggy!" snarled Dan, wringing out his uniform.

"Oh no!" cried Morgan, blushing. "I wet myself! I thought I was over that when I was sixteen!"

Dan growled and threw Morgan over his shoulder. "Let's go after them!" He raced off while the blue Pokémon ran after them as best he could.

**0**

"Flight 214 leaving for Bouillon Town!" said the stewardess at the door of the blimp.

**_"WAIT!"_** cried Cameron and Neo, slamming into the door hard. They slid down like pancakes, then got up.

"Is there any room left?" begged Cameron.

"You're in luck," grinned the stewardess. "We have a room that's available. Welcome aboard!"

Cameron sighed. "Thank goodness." He took his Pokédex and slid it through the device to deduct the price of admission.

"Right this way, I'll take you to your room," said the stewardess, leading Cameron, Sandy, and Neo inside.

The two teenagers were in awe at the beautiful room they were given.

"Wow, this is so luxurious," said Neo.

"Just one of the perks of going on a Pokémon journey, my friend," said Cameron with a big smile. He yawned and put Sandy down, then climbed into bed. "And now, I think we need to get some sleep."

Neo yawned. "I'm with you." He crawled into the top bed and Sandy leapt in with Cameron, curling up and going to sleep.

None of them realized that a giant hangglider shaped like a seagull Pokémon was following them, and three villianous criminals were riding it.

**To be continued...**


End file.
